Invisible Ink: The Unseen Language of Secrets and Spies
Reproduction of one of Benedict Arnold’s coded communications with the British while he was negotiating what eventually became a failed attempt to surrender the fort at West Point in 1780.…
Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) in Protective Intelligence
Photo by Andrea Piacquadio. Open-Source Intelligence (OSINT) is the process of collecting information from publicly accessible sources. OSINT is different from research in that it applies the intelligence process to…
The Intelligence Cycle in Protective Intelligence: A Systematic Process
Secret Service agents executing a protective operation. Credit: U.S. Secret Service. Protective intelligence is a critical aspect of security operations that involves the identification, assessment, and management of threats towards…
Functions of Protective Intelligence: Identification, Assessment, and Management/Mitigation
Photo: U.S. Department of State Diplomatic Security Service Protective intelligence is a critical aspect of security operations that focuses on preventing targeted violence. It involves a systematic process of gathering…
The Real James Bond: An Unsung Hero of World War II
Sean Connery as James Bond during filming of “Diamonds are Forever” in Amsterdam, 31 July 1971. Dutch National Archives / CC BY-SA 3.0 NL DEED. Ian Fleming, the mastermind behind…
American Espionage: A Historical Overview of Intelligence Collection
Aerial view of the Central Intelligence Agency headquarters, Langley, Virginia. There is nothing more necessary than good intelligence to frustrate a designing enemy, and nothing requires greater pains to obtain.”…
OSS Training at Catoctin Mountain: America’s First School for Spies
Camp Greentop, Catoctin Mountain Park, Maryland. Photo taken on 26 August 2016. Credit: Acroterion / CC BY-SA 4.0 DEED. In a global and totalitarian war, intelligence must be global and…
Operation Carpetbagger: Secret Mission to Aid the Resistance in WW2 Europe
OSS Jedburghs in front of B-24 just before night takeoff. Area T, Harrington Airdrome, England, circa 1944. Credit: Joint Chiefs of Staff. Office of Strategic Services. Field Photographic Branch. During…
Sun Tzu’s The Art of War: Chapter 13 – The Use of Spies and its Relevance to Modern Espionage
Statue of Sun Tzu in Yurihama, Tottori, in Japan. Credit: 663highland / CC BY-SA 3.0 DEED. Cropped. Foreknowledge cannot be gotten from ghosts and spirits, cannot be had by analogy,…
Apache Warriors: The Special Forces of the Old West
Geronimo (Goyaałé), a Chiricahua Apache warrior, kneeling with rifle in1887. I should never have surrendered. I should have fought until I was the last man alive.” — Geronimo The Apache…